1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to toys that provide audio or visual entertainment and, more particularly, to an improved audio-visual toy that projects visual images and concurrently produces an audio transmission, and also enables the user to activate the toy a distance remote therefrom.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
During the past decades, artisans in the toy field have developed toys that produce visual images and simulate to varying extents a motion picture movie. One early toy includes a binocular device into which is inserted a cardboard carousel containing a series of pictures on a photographic film element. The user activates a mechanism in the device to rotate the carousel and thereby pass the individual images into the viewing area while holding the device up to a light source.
A subsequently developed toy more closely simulates moving pictures, but again does so without an audio transmission. A film element having a series of images on it is housed in a cartridge element for insertion into a housing of the toy. The user manually turns a crank mechanism to move the film in the cartridge and thereby projects a series of images. The user has the option of projecting the images onto a viewing screen in the toy or onto a viewing surface apart from the toy.
In another toy, images can similarly be projected either onto a viewing screen or onto a viewing surface. However, an audio transmission is produced by utilizing a conventional phonograph record system. A film element containing a series of images is placed in a straight cardboard strip. As the phonograph record is played, a mechanism allows the strip to be slowly dropped in front of a light source. Consequently, the audio transmission complements the visual images projected. While this device provides an improvement over the prior toys, shortcomings exist.
As with all phonograph record systems, the quality of the audio transmission produced is dependent in part upon the absence of vibration or movement of the record system. A toy that includes a phonograph record system on the external portion of the toy is particularly susceptible to abuse and poor audio transmission when used by children. In addition, since movement of the photographic film strip is dependent upon the phonograph record system properly working, disturbance of the record system disturbes the projection of visual images.